


This I Promise You

by RunWithWolves



Series: Tidbits and Timbits [6]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21923407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunWithWolves/pseuds/RunWithWolves
Summary: When they were in high school and freshly broken hearted, Laura and Carmilla promised that if they were both single when Laura turned 30, they'd get married.Today, Laura turns twenty nine. The old promise gets remembered. A new promise gets made with one year to be fulfilled.But Laura's not sure which promise she wants.
Relationships: Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Series: Tidbits and Timbits [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/601270
Comments: 56
Kudos: 235





	This I Promise You

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like I'm posting a 101st Carmilla story after all. Surprise binge writes will get me every time.
> 
> This is entirely and completely the fault of the Silas Library Club who kept nudging me towards the prompt:
> 
> Laura and Carmilla have been friends forever. When they were teenagers and experiencing their first heartbreaks, they made a pact that if they were single at 30, they’d marry each other. Neither of them forgot. And now it’s the Laura’s 29th birthday

Thirty felt like a long way when she was sixteen but as Laura sat, staring out the window and watching the dawn rise on her twenty-ninth birthday, thirty felt much closer. She leaned back against her bedframe, adjusting the comforter just enough to stop the breeze from sneaking into the crack between her pajama pants and oversized t-shirt. 

One year to thirty. 

One year for Laura to face down the barrel of a cannon she’d forged as a heartbroken sixteen-year-old and wonder if she’d ever have the courage to fire it off.

The front door creaked open and Laura held back a smile at attempt of her early morning interloper to keep quiet. The thump of shoes. Hipcheck into a bookcase Laura had moved. A muffled swear. 

Then a “Knock, knock” at her bedroom door and Laura’s heart raced at the voice alone.

“Come in,” she called.

She was already scooting over, leaving the side of her bed open, as Carmilla wandered into the room. 

Laura smiled, holding back a giggle. Her best friend looked half asleep. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bedhead ponytail, her glasses were on even with her eyes closed, she was wearing her own pajama pants, and had thrown a big sweater over the whole thing.

And in her hands was a sealed coffee fresh and hot from Laura’s favourite special occasion coffee shop.

The cup was thrust in her general direction and the second Laura took it, Carmilla flopped onto the bed and burrowed into the pillow like an orny cat. Her glasses dislodged to press against her forehead. With a sip of coffee, Laura reached out and gently plucked them from Carmilla’s face to set them on her side table. 

“Good morning,” she said.

“Why do you have to always get up so early.” Carmilla groaned into the pillow.

“I’m an early morning show host,” Laura said, “This is practically sleeping in for me. Now come on, you came all this way to bring me a coffee. Don’t you have anything else you want to say to me?” 

Carmilla scrunched her nose and shook her head, “No.” She grumbled, “it’s sleep time.”

“It’s wake up time.” Laura said, “You’re just a spoiled academic who gets to set her own hours and sleep in.”

“I teach class.”

“And you scared them into only giving you afternoon classes. Get up and wish me a happy birthday like you came to do or I’m going to eat all my birthday cake for breakfast instead of saving it for tonight,” 

Laura reached over, tugging on the tip of Carmilla’s ponytail until Carmilla scowled and flipped over to swat at the offending hand.

And Laura’s breath caught. 

Caught at the sight of Carmilla, trying to frown around her obvious smile. Carmilla, bathed in the warm glow of the sun’s light at dawn. Carmilla, caught up in her bed and sprawled in her sheets with her dark hair draped over her pillow. Carmilla, warm and happy and sleepy and completely kissable. 

Carmilla, her best friend.

Carmilla, who Laf and Perry kept telling Laura that she was already in love with.

Carmilla, who Laura had once made a promise to marry if they were both single at thirty.

Carmilla, who was already thirty. Who was single.

Laura, who was one year away from their deadline.

Laura, who didn’t know what to do with all the feelings in her chest.

As much as she tried to hold in the butterflies in her stomach and softness in her heart, some of it must have leaked out because Carmilla stopped pretending and let a real smile through, “Happy Twenty-Ninth Birthday, Laura.”

“There we go,” Laura shook her head to clear her thoughts and gently shoved Carmilla shoulder, “Was that really so hard?”

“Everything’s hard at 6am,” Carmilla said.

Laura took another sip of her coffee, letting the sugar wash over her tongue, “Guess you should have stayed in bed then.”

Carmilla’s scoff came fast and hard, “I certainly wasn’t going to leave you alone on your birthday, Hollis.” Laura’s heart glowed. “Besides,” Carmilla added as she curled back into her side, “Now I can just sleep here in your excellent smelling sheets and superior mattress. All that early morning effort will fade away like a bad dream.”

“Ah yes,” Laura rolled her eyes even as she settled deeper into the bed, feeling Carmilla’s warmth beside her, “All that effort of getting me a coffee. And that was just for twenty-nine. Whatever will you do for the big 3-0? Maybe get a doughnut too?”

The words slipped out before Laura could really think about them and they left the air feeling thick. 

Silent. A promise remembered but not talked about. 

The blankets beside her shifted, shuffled, and then Carmilla was propped up on one arm to look at her, “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that.”

“About what?” Laura tried to play it cool, a hundred things Carmilla could have been talking about. 

A pause. Laura stared at the ceiling, trying not to whiteknuckle the sheets even as she felt Carmilla’s eyes on her. 

“Do you remember,” Carmilla said at last, “that promise we made in high school? After you broke up with Danny? And me with Elle?”

“I remember.” The words came out a whisper, “We’d get married when I turned 30 if we were both single”.

She remembered everything. Her broken heart, the tears she’d cried safe in the blanket fort they’d made of Carmilla’s massive unused basement. The way Carmilla had held her tight as she’d soaked Carmilla’s shirt wet with tears. The way Laura had felt unlovable, the way Carmilla had assured her that she wasn’t. The promise Carmilla had made, fierceness on her teenage face even as she held Laura so gently, that she’d marry Laura herself. How she’d said “This I Promise You” like it was precious. How Laura had jumped on the declaration, held it tight, made Carmilla promise. Had signed a contract on the back of the Prom invitation that she and Danny had intended to go to.

She didn’t know where the contract had gone, lost in the blankets as she fell asleep with Carmilla’s warmth next to her. 

Warmth she could still feel next to her. 

Laura rolled towards it, stopped just before touching as she ended on her side and forced herself to look at Carmilla. Still lit by the sunrise. Her dark eyes were waiting, fixed on Laura, and surrounded by a halo of half escaped dark hair.

Saying nothing. 

Just looking. Looking with a look on her face that Laura hadn’t seen before, that Laura didn’t know what to do with. She hadn’t known Carmilla had any faces left that Laura hadn’t seen.

This one created a crinkle between her eyebrows even as something big and deep and scary flickered behind her eyes. Laura didn’t know what to do with the eyes, was afraid to let herself drown in them, so she reached out and focused on the crinkle. Carmilla’s skin was soft under her thumb as she gentle smoothed it away.

“Crinkled brow is my thing,” Laura forced the tease, “Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to propose in a year.”

It was true. She wasn’t expecting Carmilla to propose. Hoping, maybe. Wishing. Dreaming. But certainly not expecting.

Carmilla huffed as Laura’s hand moved to her hair, pulling free the hair elastic that had mostly fallen out anyway, “Don’t you worry cupcake, I wouldn’t let you get stuck with me.”

Laura’s chest ached and a half protest leaked out, “We’re best friends. You’re stuck with me anyway.”

She nudged Carmilla who obliging flipped over to her other side, practically purring as Laura’s fingers wound through her hair and began pulling the silky strands into a French braid, “You know what I mean. I’m still figuring out this whole friend thing; I’d do a poor job of roses and romance and all that stuff. I’m a one-night girl for a reason, you’re the full package.”

“Well,” Laura spoke around the lump in her throat, “You seem to be the only one who thinks so. I guess, we’ll just be sad and single and alone together then.”

A pause, a skip in Carmilla’s breathing that Laura could feel with Carmilla beside her. Then Carmilla turned back, hair slipping from Laura’s fingers as dark eyes found her again, “You’re sad?”

Laura settled on a shrug as she fought to regather the French braid, “I mean, no-one wants to feel unlovable, right?”

“Laura, you’re-“ the words seems to fall out of Carmilla before she caught them. Several expressions flashed over her face in quick succession. 

“I’m what?”

Instead of answering, Carmilla’s jaw set with that same fierceness Laura had seen when Carmilla had first offered their deal, “I’m going to find you a partner.”

“What?” Laura’s mind stalled.

“I’m going to be your dating coach,” Carmilla said, “Vet all the girls, teach you the moves. Between my suave and your sappiness, we can get you hitched to the perfect person.”

“I am not sappy.”

Carmilla ignored her, sitting up and dragging Laura with her by grabbing her hand, “Laura Hollis,” Carmilla said. She was still lit by the sun, hair half braided, comforter pooled around her waist. But now she was wide awake, “I’ll make you a new promise. By this time next year, on your 30th birthday, I will make sure that you’re no longer sad, single, or alone. I’m going to get you hitched. This, I Promise you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise Holiday gift, i guess? <3 
> 
> Thank you for your ongoing nudges that keep Hollstein in the back of my mind. Your comments, kudos and [ tumblr stop-ins](http://ariabauer.tumblr.com/) that make me smile. Thank you so much for your kindness and goodness and generosity. Stay stupendous. Aria.


End file.
